File picture shows a general view of the financial Central district in Hong Kong, July 9, 2015. — Reuters picHONG KONG, May 3 — Hong Kong’s economy jumped back into growth in the first quarter of the year, official figures showed today, ending the city’s most pronounced period of recession in its modern history.
That came to an end today when the government announced the economy grew 7.8 per cent on year in the first three months of 2021. The city was among the first places outside mainland China to record a coronavirus infection, and the economy plunged by a record-breaking 9.1 per cent in the first quarter of 2020.
Coronavirus restrictions are keeping Hong Kong all but closed to those without work permits and people who do arrive need to undergo three weeks of compulsory hotel quarantine.